Occupational Therapy Assistant

• High School graduate with HS GPA 2.7 or higher, or equivalent OR 9 credit hours of college level classes completed with a grade of C or better.

• ICC grade point average (GPA) of a 2.0 or above.

Recommended High School Subjects (1) three years of English (2) two years of science (3) two years of mathematics (4) one year of keyboarding (5) one year of art.

Requirements upon Acceptance

• Drug screen, fingerprint criminal background check, physical exam and immunizations.

• Documentation of current CPR certification from the American Heart Association (AHA) BLS (Basic Life Support) Provider or American Red Cross (ARC) Professional Rescuer and BLS Provider is required. This CPR certification must remain current throughout student enrollment within the health career program.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE´s telephone number, c/o AOTA is (301) 652-6611. Web address is www.acoteonline.org.  Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant, administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).  NBCOT will ask questions related to the topic of felonies.  A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.  NBCOT contact information is One Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, (301) 990-7979. Email is info@nbcot.org and web address is www.nbcot.org.  After successful completion of NBCOT exam, the graduate will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, most states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on results of the NBCOT certification exam. Credentialing is a function of the NBCOT, not Illinois Central College or the American Occupational Therapy Association.

The certified occupational therapy assistant collaborates with the supervising occupational therapist to provide the use of occupations (everyday life activities) with individuals and/or groups across the life span.  These occupations include ADLS (activities of daily living), IADLS (instrumental activities of daily living), education, work, rest, sleep, play, and social participation.  Occupational therapy assistants provide services that will promote health, well-being, participation and engagement in occupation throughout one’s lifespan. Occupational therapy assistants apply a holistic approach and recognize the significance of the mind, body and spirit as they focus on areas of physical, cognitive, psychosocial and sensory impairment. The occupational therapy assistant may be employed in a variety of traditional and emerging practice areas. These settings may include but are not limited to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, out-patient clinics, schools, community-based centers, behavioral health programs and home health agencies.

Maintain a grade of C or better in all required general education and program courses.